Brighter & Dimmer

In speaking with some of my fellow map-obsessed, I learned to my chagrin that my Lights On Lights Out map used a color scheme that was pretty much impenetrable to the color deficient. Sorry! It was a good reminder that good visualization should not needlessly alienate up to 10% of the population. Interestingly, I can count four folks with red-green weakness from a pretty small set of visualization folks that I know.

Also, the title Lights On Lights out is problematic because it’s too strong, given the data. More accurately, the map shows areas that have experience an en-brightening or an en-dimming in the years between 2012 and 2016.

I don’t need much of an excuse to make a map, of course, so here is a revised take on that map with a clearer (though less catchy) title and a more inclusive/effective color scheme!

Click the image to embiggen. But beware, it is mega-huge and will take a while to fully load.